A recent image processing apparatus performs not only full-color printing by electrophotography using four CMYBk toners but also multi-color printing using special toners.
Examples of the special toners are a transparent toner capable of absorbing unevenness of the surface of a printed product to implement a high gloss and a light toner capable of suppressing graininess of a highlight portion. Using such special toners allows to obtain new added value different from normal digital printing. Against this backdrop, an image processing apparatus such as an MFP containing special toners is used.
A technique related to the transparent toner is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-034040, which distinguishes a non-text photo region of a printed image and automatically applies the transparent toner to the distinguished non-text photo region. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-145784 describes a technique of previewing the range of image data transferred from a host computer, where the transparent toner is to be applied.
In these prior arts, however, when printing an image with the transparent toner partially applied, the user cannot easily change the range to apply the transparent toner.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open N 2007-034040 makes no special mention of user's changing and designating a range, though it describes automatically applying the transparent toner to a non-text photo region.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-145784 makes no special mention of user's changing and designating a range, though it describes displaying the range to apply the transparent toner. Range changing can supposedly be implemented by, for example, regenerating the image of the transparent toner application region on the host computer. However, it is not convenient in an environment in which the host computer does not exist near the image processing apparatus.
Especially when printing an image with the transparent toner partially applied in, for example, a convenience store where many and unspecified users use the image processing apparatus, every user needs to be able to easily change the range to apply the transparent toner.